On July 1, the famous resort island of Phuket in southern Thailand reopened to international visitors after more than a year without foreign tourists due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Phuket is also the first of theSix Thai tourist destinations welcome international visitors back, under a new tourism model called "Phuket Sandbox". Visitors to Phuket must be fully vaccinated against Covid-19.
One of the first tourists to arrive in Phuket on reopening day
These international visitors do not need to quarantine when they arrive in Phuket. They just need to take a Covid-19 test upon arrival and wait for the results in their hotel rooms. If the result is negative, they can travel freely within the province.
According to Bangkok Post, on July 1, hundreds of passengers on flights from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Qatar, Israel and Singapore landed on Phuket Island.
Tourists are guided through check-in procedures by Phuket airport staff.
Airport staff waiting for the first tourists
Hotel drivers wait for tourists at the airport
Mr. Yuthasak Supasorn, Governor-General of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), said the total number of passengers on the first four flights to Phuket was 366, however, the number of passengers with Certificates of Enrolment (COE) allowed to stay in Phuket was only 322. The rest were transit passengers or tourists who had not been vaccinated.
Flight carrying first international tourists to Phuket greeted with water cannons
The first international tourists arrived in Phuket on July 1, greeted by a water cannon blast from a fire truck. The first group of tourists then underwent screening procedures. They were asked to download the Thailand Plus and Mor Chana apps.
Omar Ricalraeesi (37 years old), a tourist from the UAE who has been to Phuket 15 times, shared about his planned 8-day trip: "After two years of not traveling, I chose the 'Phuket sandbox' to change my mood."
A British tourist said he would stay on the island for a month and was looking forward to reuniting with his family. "My children live here, so I will see them," he said.
Tourists take test samples at the airport
The first 14 days of the "Phuket Sandbox" model will be an important testing phase to pave the way for other areas in southern Thailand to reopen, the Tourism and Sports Ministry said.
Phuket’s reopening depends heavily on a vaccination effort that requires 70% of the local population to be vaccinated. According to CNN statistics as of June 30, more than 80% of Phuket’s population has received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine, and about 65% of the island’s population has been fully vaccinated.
